Québec French speaker here — thanks for the nice comments about the city

English speaker born and raised in Montréal.
1- Europeans don’t have the pressure on their culture the way French Canadians do. Specifically language
2-If you say I’m American and the person can speak English they’ll help you out.
3- The harder you try to speak French , the harder they will try to help you.

1. That's the Lachine Canal, not the Saint Lawrence River. The canal is an offshoot that is used as a shipping channel.
2. Verdun is certainly not the "most French part" of Montreal. It's a historically anglo working class neighbourhood that has become more francophone and diverse with immigration and shifting populations, and has also seen a ton of gentrification lately (and the number of illegally-operating AirBNBs is not helping). If you wanted more French immersion, you could've stayed out in the east end neighbourhoods of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Rosemont-Petite-Patrie, Villeray, Mercier, or Pointe-aux-Trembles, just to name a few.
3. Most people do speak and understand English and will be friendly enough to tourists just trying to get by. But we do appreciate at least someone who recognizes that French is the predominant language and who makes an effort. Even just leading with "bonjour" helps.
4. The stereotype about Canadians being overly friendly is both comically exaggerated and, like most places in the world, more true in small towns than in big cities. Montreal is a big city. We have big city energy. People mostly mind their own business. That doesn't mean we aren't nice people, but you won't see the exaggerations you may have in mind. We also don't tend to do the exuberant fake friendliness thing that is common in parts of the US.
5. 15 poutines in 50 days? YIKES! Holy heart attack, Batman!
6. Feeling like Montreal is densely populated is probably a combination of the fact that you were here at the peak of summer (vs shoulder season in Europe), and the fact that you went to some of the most popular tourist attractions like the Mount Royal Lookout or Notre Dame Cathedral.
7. Quebec City and Ottawa are in opposite directions from Montreal and would probably be best as separate weekend trips, not combined. As for the train, the tickets are less expensive if you buy them in advance vs last minute.
8. Grocery prices in most major Canadian cities are more expensive than in most of the US, when you compare it to average earnings. If you found groceries to be cheaper here, it's probably because you earn and spend US dollars and were factoring in your favourable exchange rate.

Nice video.Some remark

1) Quebec City is definitely more European than Montreal.

2) The Botanical Garden is free for residents (with an Accès Montréal card).

3) Verdun is ABSOLUTELY NOT one of the most French neighbourhoods in Montreal. There is a noticeable community of people of Irish descent there. The most French parts of the city are located east of St. Lawrence Boulevard (Boul. Saint-Laurent).

4) It’s funny: the first time you mentioned that you liked walking along the St. Lawrence River, the footage actually showed the Lachine Canal.

i'm a Montrealer and its part of our way of life to be outside ALL the time, summertime to enjoy the city. 1) because our summer is short 2) we are the city in north america that have the lowest % of car ownership, i think on the plateau 30% of the residents dont own a car. 3) Montreal is a walkeable city and we have a pretty good| realible public transit  4) we are one of the safest city in North america .... so people just walk outside unbothered till very late at night in most neighbourhood. We also dont have large road or freeway cutting our city, so yes that make it ''denser'' and the building of triplex or multiplex (instead of houses)  at the turn of the century (1900's) when Montréal experience an expension (as a city) it did create a more denser population outside of the ''dowtown''  area .... think of the Milend, Plateau, Villeray, neighbourhood who doesnt have very high appartment tower but triplex or multiplex all built right next to each other.

It really isn't complicated in Quebec: if people see that you are making an effort to speak French and are genuinely giving it a go, not only will you earn the respect of Quebecers, but you will also receive support that is both incredibly useful and pleasant. You will discover the most sincere kind of kindness. If, however, you make no effort to adapt to our language while visiting, you will struggle to win not only our generosity but also our respect.

I am from Québec, born in Montréal lived in a few cities but cities Montreal and Québec mainly.. The people of Quebec felt compelled to protect their culture, especially given historical policies aimed at assimilation. Following the 1755 Acadian expulsion, restrictions on French-language education persisted in parts of Canada well into the 1960s.

i have never heard anyone speak enthusiastically about our weather.

Montreal is great, but I would say that Quebec City is the most European city in Canada. 👍🇨🇦

As a québécoise myself I really love when the tourists are curious and interested in knowing our Montréal culture. I dont know if you asked the people around but we really love when you guys ask us questions about the places and the activites! I work in retail and every time I meet some tourists I love to take the time to talk a little and get to know them a bit. In Montreal and Quebec tho, it’s true that we feel very strongly about protecting our French and that we like when people do the effort to try to adapt to us. In a country where the French were pushed away and diminished for centuries, we need to stand our ground and stand up for ourselves! But I promise, I really feel like Quebec is the kindest place in Canada and the most welcoming. Please come back!

Next time in Montreal, use the Métro, it is fast, safe during the day and you would have been able to go to the center from Verdun easily. For comfort, avoid rush hours.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and nuanced post. I was afraid it might turn into Montreal-bashing, but nuance is usually much closer to the truth than stereotypes.

I was born in Sherbrooke, studied and lived in Montreal, and have worked in Ottawa for many years. I am both Québécois and Canadian, and I am proud that we have managed to keep French alive as a major language in North America. I learned English because it was important for my career, not because I was an anglophone. My parents did not speak English, and preserving French has always mattered to me.

That does not mean that I speak for everyone in Quebec or that I want to promote Quebec. There are many things about my province that frustrate me, and we certainly have our share of narrow-minded people too.

However, I also have Franco-Ontarian friends who care deeply about preserving French. This attachment to the language extends well beyond Quebec.
I was born in 1976, during an important period in Quebec’s linguistic history.

Although I grew up only 42 kilometres, or 26 miles, from the Vermont border, my English was still quite poor when I got a job as a language assistant in England. I had a strong French accent, which sometimes sounded strange to English ears and even amused some British with Yankees accent or word.
Learning English helped me earn a living, but it never made French less important to me.

I also love baseball, and my heart was broken when the Expos moved to Washington. I admire the courage it takes to sell your home and travel around the world. This has nothing to do with anti-American feelings. It is simply admiration for someone willing to leave familiar surroundings and discover other places.

Your post reminded me of a song by Yves Duteil about the French language in North America. It speaks to me personally because French has survived here despite enormous pressure and repeated attempts at assimilation. I do not know how long it will continue to survive, and I sometimes worry about its future. Still, it remains a beautiful language worth protecting.

The recent tensions between Canada and the United States may also explain some of the frustration you encountered, even though you personally had nothing to do with them. Thank you for looking beyond that frustration and for offering such kind and thoughtful words.
Merci beaucoup, du fond du cœur. Thank you very much, from the bottom of my heart. I'm glad you enjoyed le Jardin botanique!

Your kid is young enough for you to move and for him to learn and assimilate the culture and help you guys embrace it. Never too late to do it ! :) Glad you enjoyed your stay, merci pour les bons commentaires ! <3

Montreal has one of the best public transit system in North America. Way better than taking Uber and probably faster. I lived in Montreal for 35 years and experienced the evolution of the metro. Its super safe and efficient. Cheers

There’s almost 300 years of history behind that perceived hostility towards your use of the English language. Until the separatist party got in power in the 1970s, many French Canadians were forced to speak English in their own province, while Anglophones retained the right to enjoy a unilingual life. My parents, for example, were great people, but they never learned a word of French. This is the root of their grievance. Many feel that if they do not protect their language, they will lose it. In Verdun, the assumption is that you are not a tourist, but a long time Anglo that refuses to learn French.

Most Québécois speak english, but are very attached to our language since we're surrounded by english and there was several attempts to assimilate us in our history. Usually if you make an effort to speak french Québécois will help you and meet you halfway, by speaking back english. But if you come speaking only english and seem to make no effort to learn a couple words, that's seen as disrespectful by many.

Montreal also gets lots of tourists; particularly from France, Belgium and the New England states!! It is one of the most popular cities to visit in Canada!! It's quieter in winter when people aren't wondering around outside nearly as much. In winter, people go to specific events or to do specific activities; they don't stroll around town as much.

A lot of Canadians and other countries tourists decided to avoid the USA this year and visited Canada, and Montreal. You said to tell you what you missed, well young lady, if you haven't had the smoked meat sandwich, you definitely missed the boat, it is the best experience on the planet. Surely you saw "La Belle Province" restaurants here and there, you have to try that next time you're in Montreal. As a kid I lived on Adam Street, a few streets south of the Olympic Stadium, and my father would take us to Sherbrooke St pulling us on the tobagan to go slide on the hill that is now the Stadium. At the time the Arena Maurice Richard was the only building on the portion of the hill. I encourage you to go visit the Laurentians towards Mont Tremblant, that is a part of Quebec that is absolutely gorgeous, you say you like nature, well, that area is nature to the max. Take care.

Born and bred in Montréal, and I enjoyed listening to your review. If you come back again a suggestion would be to take a small drive out to the West Island of Montreal along the Saint Lawrence river. There are beautiful little towns like Pointe Claire village and St Anne de Bellevue that are well worth the trip and in the summer, and there's always music and shows  by the water.  Not sure exactly which dates you were here but i see this posted September 10th, and so I imagine the summer. I'm surprised you didn't mention how humid it was here this summer.  Maybe you're from the the southern eastern states, which is where our humidity comes from, and that's normal to you. Anyway glad you enjoyed our city and do return.  And if you have a choice, Quebec City is very beautiful and so is a little past it up to the Charlevoix area.

As a Montrealer now living in the Carolina's (I go back once a year to visit family), I had to point out that your walk along the "St Lawrence River" from Verdun was in fact the Lachine Canal... another food to try is Montreal Smoked Meat (Schwartz's or Reuben's)... and a great upscale restaurant is the Auberge Saint-Gabriel in Old Montreal. There's years worth of things to see and do and experience in Montreal... the festivals are endless... keep going!!